


safe here

by crossbelladonna



Series: tale as old as time; [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: M/M, Tokyo Ghoul AU, ccg!kyoutani, ghoul!yahaba, im sorry mother for my sins, really really late, there is.....brief sexual content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-26
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-23 12:40:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4877194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crossbelladonna/pseuds/crossbelladonna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 5 #kyouhabaweek (supposedly! this is very late)<br/><b>Crossover (or au)</b> // Seasons</p><p> <b>TOKYO GHOUL AU</b></p><p>“Raids are routine work,” Kyoutani tells to Yahaba before he can air the question. “Sometimes there is no sleep done until we accomplish something, say kill a certain ghoul. I guess they’re still going through the possibility that people in the accident are still alive huh?”<br/>Yahaba quirks a smile, pushing his mask up his head.<br/>“You’re alive.”<br/>Kyoutani looks at him intently and all of the things that they’ve gone through for the past month seems to flash in his mind.<br/>“Yes I am.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	safe here

**Author's Note:**

> [taps mic, clears throat] _fucking finally_ [trips on the way out]
> 
> EDIT: (4/26/16) this fic now has art!! viewable [here](http://ikitsunechann.tumblr.com/post/143421955218/tokyo-ghoul-au-doodle-inspired-kyouhaba-by-safe) and [here](http://ikitsunechann.deviantart.com/art/Safe-Here-605338732) many thanks to [Patty](http://ikitsunechann.tumblr.com/)! thank you! ^^

Yahaba lowers his mask on his face, waiting in the darkness of the treetops as he watches one by one, the several CCG vans whizzing by the very steep road towards one of their raids to another ward. Many of the vans, from Yahaba’s vantage point, have almost come this close to falling over the cliff with barely any railings and that’s what Yahaba had started to look forward to happening for the past thirty minutes.

Yahaba knows this is a very dangerous timing. It wasn’t part his intentions to come by here just in time that the CCG decided to pass here as well. This is Yahaba’s feeding grounds. Here, people come to die. Car crashes. Suicide. Murder. A lot of people have their different reasons to seek death.

Yahaba lives off of them.

He does not intend to change this.

He doesn’t need to prove them wrong. He doesn’t need to prove anyone anything and all he does is his sustenance to live and he’s never hurt anyone in the process.

Not on purpose anyway.

And now the CCG just has to pass by here of all places.

 _Oikawa-san will kill me if I were to be careless._ Yahaba thinks this, just this as he has to prevent himself from moving away from where he is at the moment, so he won’t be spotted, so they won’t hear.

His kakugan flickers to each of the vans passing, not really keeping count but knowing there must be more than  ten of them by now—and more. The CCG doesn’t fool around with their raids and it irks him.

When the vans start thinning out, Yahaba decides to move, dropping down to lower branches as close to the ground as much as possible and just as he finds the right timing to do so, there is a loud bang.

Yahaba freezes, startled and he whips his head around to see two of the remaining CCG vans slamming into each other, the other out of control and they both swivel wildly, screeching noises so sharp and loud in the air that Yahaba’s skin crawls and he has to over his ears, wincing.

The two vans veer even further the short railings.

And then they fall.

The sound of grinding and crashing metal as the two vans roll down the cliff, followed by another short series of small explosions.

And then the pained screaming from below.

Yahaba’s veins fill with adrenaline and his hands shake in anticipation but he doesn’t move, no he waits. He waits just in case the others come back for them. He waits until the sounds of crashing stops, until the explosions are silent. He waits until he sees smoke rising from below, to the red and orange light of the fire.

His mouth waters; people die from car crashes.

The other CCG vans does not come back and Yahaba moves quick, running fast from where he is and with one swift jump to the other side of the road, he pauses when he gets to the edge of the cliff and peers over. There is the noticeable glow of the fire from somewhere below and even there he can still hear screaming.

Yahaba exhales, relaxes. He has to be fast, the others will come soon and they’re not as lenient as him to killing. Yahaba snaps his fingers and feels the warm sensation spreading below his shoulder blades and his kagune unfurls, a koukaku shining silver in the moonlight like a metallic plate, a steel cape behind his back and then he jumps.

His kagune fixes itself on the ground as Yahaba falls, cushioning his descent as Yahaba quickly scans for the first van and he finds it a few feet ahead, snagged between two tree trunks and ablaze with fire, Yahaba stops, breathing hard.

His kagune dissolves and Yahaba steps closer. The van is overturned, mostly intact though the front glass is shattered and the metal curved in unnatural shape. There is an obvious tinge of coppery scent in the air amidst the choking smell of smoke and oh _oh_ Yahaba’s hands start to shake in anticipation.

Yahaba sprints toward the van, listening intently and he circles around it for the door, torn and open and just around it are a few bodies littered, already still and even more inside the van itself.

All is silent.

He has to eat _now._

Yahaba’s vision darkens and he lunges.

 

It takes less than an hour and two bodies are gone, enough to sate him for nearly two months should nothing else occur and Yahaba steps back now, walking back blinking, kakugan still visible and he tries wiping off his bloody hands on his already bloody jeans and decides he couldn’t care less anymore even if he’s this messy. He can’t bring any of this at home either way, he doesn’t need the chance of evidence against him.

He steps away from the burning van, gaining his senses back and he can still smell the appealing scent of prey but he no longer wants it. He looks around and spots the second car, a few yards ahead also caught in a tree trunk and is in a more dismal state than the first one.

Yahaba goes over and it’s more than the usual scene of a car wreckage. The ceiling is ripped and halfway open, the doors are somewhere away from the car, broken glass is littered around and Yahaba can smell the scent of people trapped inside or underneath the car.

The scent of blood is stronger here and though it doesn’t entice him anymore, it just bothers him. The others will be here sooner than he thinks.

Yahaba turns to go—and stops. Frowning, he turns around slightly towards one of the cleaved doors, something catching his eye.  Movement? He doesn’t hear anything though and he takes a moment to weigh this. How long can a human last? How fast do humans usually die..? Yahaba isn’t too sure—when he gets here, humans are usually already dead.

Still, with furrowed eyebrows, he walks toward the door cautiously, the leaves scrunching below him sounding unbelievably loud even with the cackling of fire and the air is too hot to be comfortable.

What catches his eye though, is a head of bleached color, black stripes on the side of the head and Yahaba crouches down to look, to find the usual vacant expression of death and Yahaba feels his blood run cold when he doesn’t find it—the man’s eyes are closed but fluttering and on cue, he twitches his fingers and utters a pained groan.

 _Alive. Alive he’s alive—_ Yahaba leaps back, suddenly horrified not knowing what to do with this situation. _Shit he’s alive_ and looks like he’s still going to hold on for a long, long time and Yahaba finds that his stomach is turning at the prospect of this.

The man is half buried under the van door, his clothes burned and torn and he smells strongly of copper. Beside him is a briefcase Yahaba was taught to fear all his life.

 _Shit_. Yahaba thinks again, stepping back even further. This is okay. He’ll just leave and he’ll have no fault in this, he won’t be blaming himself for someone dying. It’s not his fault, he could just leave, he shouldn’t feel guilty.

That’s right, Yahaba tries to relax. Not his fault, not his fault not his—

Far away, Yahaba hears a familiar rustling that he whips his head around snappily. In the darkness and dim light of the fire, it’s far, it’s far but he sees a blue whip whizz by the branches. Kagune.

Yahaba’s stomach sinks.

 _Oh my god if I leave they’ll—_ He looks at the investigator on the ground and he’s sweating. They’re here and this man is still alive. Yahaba wrings his hands, wanting to throw up. _They’re going to kill him._

He won’t be able to sleep for days knowing this.

Yahaba grits his teeth, veins appearing in his kakugan once more and his koukaku unfurls behind him, curling back in so his second, rarely used kagune that got him his name under CCG’s list after a short incident, unfurls into three dark green whips, barbed at the ends and the sound of rattling prominent as his rinkaku shakes.

It takes a second. He whips one of his whips towards the two tree trunks supporting the first car, cutting them so the car breaks free and then starts rolling towards them with a loud complaining groan.

Yahaba can hear them closer now. Hungry. Yahaba uses both of his kagunes to tear the door away from the man who winces and pain and wraps his rinkaku around him, Yahaba’s knuckles turning white from concentration.

The man doesn’t move this time, but he’s warm in Yahaba’s hold unconscious but very much alive. The car is still falling, the others are here and Yahaba does the one thing he’s good at. The one thing he might eventually regret and might end up killing him at some point—he runs.

 

It’s not when Yahaba has creeped back home and had dumped the unconscious investigator in the extra room in his small apartment that it completely sinks in and Yahaba paces back and forth in front of the bed he just dumped the guy in, clenching and unclenching his fists in fright.

 _Oikawa is going to kill me when he finds out._ Yahaba has the sense to think, glancing at the human and shit, Yahaba had even dragged along the godawful briefcase with him. Yahaba can see his immediate future now and it might involve with him dying in his own apartment.

 _But he was going to die right there._ Yahaba thinks in dismay. _They would’ve killed—_

On the bed, the man groans in pain and Yahaba stiffens.

“Shit,” Yahaba says, aloud now. He approaches the man tentatively.

The investigator has a grimace on his face, expression contorted from the pain and he’s hissing silently, hands gripped on the sheets so tight they’re turning white.

“Oh no, oh no,” Yahaba whispers, trying to assess the injuries now. Yahaba can see a lot of burns that ripped through the gear and rough clothing and several lacerations and abrasions on his arms and face. The left side of his head is bleeding and his ankle is at a weird angle.

Yahaba feels that sinking feeling again. What the heck did he even know about first aid? He didn’t get hurt a lot and they usually just heal but do humans do that? Why is he so stupid to get himself in this situation? He could always eat him at some point but then, with another nauseating thought, Yahaba would have to _kill_ him first. Yahaba wants to throw up again at the thought.

Yahaba’s mumbling several curse words as he goes through his decrepit medicine cabinet, not even fully supplied to aid a car crash survivor.

This man is going to kill him when he wakes. Yahaba doesn’t really care. He’s not afraid of dying. Dying because of his being foolish however.

“Alright.” Yahaba tells himself, exhaling as he goes back to the room. The investigator is unconscious again and Yahaba prefers it that way. He peers at the quinque briefcase before warily tossing it underneath the bed.

“Okay…Kyoutani Kentarou…san,” _Associate Special Class Investigator. I’m walking on my grave._ Yahaba swallows. “I’m going to try and help you, alright?” _Please don’t kill me just yet._

Yahaba manages to patch him up to the best of his ability. He even had to learn how to stitch up the wounds and gashes and put a splint to his ankle and his ribs. The investigator, Kyoutani, keeps drifting in and out of consciousness and when he does wake blearily, he goes back to sleep a second later.

Yahaba is still cringing at the memory of bandaging this human up, blood on his hands that he doesn’t even want and now that Kyoutani is all cleaned up at least, Yahaba now looks at him curiously knowing it’s his last chance to.

Even unconscious, Kyoutani looks tough, adverse and he most probably has an intimidating air around him. He’s clearly had a lot of experience in the CCG, his well-defined arms displaying scars and his hair, Yahaba was correct with the bleached blonde and the black stripes. Definitely part of his whole intimidating scheme. He’s probably a squad leader too.

Yahaba doesn’t like to think that just yet, trying to face his next battle of cooking human food. It’s hard to cook something that smells just so _bad_ to him he’s all but guesstimating.

It’s a full week of this. Changing the bandages, the human food that may or may not be edible, and the sponge bath when suddenly Kyoutani has a raging fever that has Yahaba panicking. He doesn’t know where this is going. If he manages to live he’ll just let him go.

It’s a full week of this until Yahaba enters the room one day with today’s porridge he’s going to have to make Kyoutani eat and he finds the investigator awake and sitting up on the bed looking disoriented.

Yahaba’s heart shoots up his throat and he nearly drops the food tray.

Almost anyway but the spoon and bowl still clink loudly and the investigator turns his head to Yahaba’s direction instantly, alert and _very_ awake.

His eyes are a startling blue, vigilant and Yahaba doesn’t know where to look so his eyes wander to the dresser across the bed and to his horror, realizes he hasn’t moved his _mask_ from there.

“I—” Yahaba begins.

Kyoutani frowns, having a hard time moving and is very guarded.

“Who are you?” he asks, more of a demand, and his voice is hoarse.

Well? Who was he? The stupid ghoul who saved an investigator? His head will roll in seconds.

“I…I saved you,” Yahaba says instead, slowly setting the food tray down, keeping himself as nonthreatening as possible and he raises his hands up to prove just that. “When your van, uh. There was an accident with your van. It crashed down the hill. You were on a mission?”

Kyoutani is still frowning, this time he looks as though he’s trying to remember things.

“How did you find me?” The question sounds more suspicious than anything and Yahaba can’t blame him.

 _I was eating._ _I was there because—_ “I was…um,” Yahaba manages but stops when he sees Kyoutani trying to swing his legs down the edge of the bed. “Wait, don’t move! Don’t move around so much your ankle—”

Kyoutani’s sudden hiss of pain is his answer and he stops moving at once, clutching his leg instead.

“You sprained your ankle. And broke some ribs. You have a lot of injuries but your ankle is worse…” Yahaba explains quickly.

Kyoutani’s jaw is set, annoyed.

“You haven’t answered me! Who are you?” Kyoutani yells and Yahaba shrinks back.

“I’m…I’m a…”

Kyoutani is looking around the room, scanning with his sharp eyes in seconds until he lands on the dresser.

Yahaba’s mask.

There’s a split second recognition and when he hisses at Yahaba again it’s of accusation.

“I can explain!” Yahaba interjects  quickly, stepping back.

“You’re a—!” Kyoutani shouts, jabbing a finger towards Yahaba. He’s trying to scramble out of the bed and is stopped each time with a shout of pain.

Yahaba feels frozen. He takes another step back.

“Please, not so loud!” Yahaba begs. “They might hear, the others—I can explain!”

“You’re a ghoul!” Kyoutani yells anyway, anger alight in his eyes.

The venom in his voice makes Yahaba wince. He didn’t mean to be born like this. He’s never really had a chance. Sometimes humans can be insensitive.

Still with his hands up, Yahaba grits his teeth.

“Yes I am but—”

Kyoutani isn’t really listening and Yahaba is not surprised. He’s twisting around seemingly looking for something and with an ill feeling of unease in Yahaba’s gut he knows what he’s looking for.

“Your quinque,” Yahaba says, trying to keep his voice even and Kyoutani’s angry gaze sets on him.

“Your quinque is under the bed,” Yahaba continues. “You can kill me without listening to my explanation and that’s fine but you’re going to hurt your ankle if you get out of that bed and if you don’t want to lose that foot you’ll stay put.”

Kyoutani snorts, tone harsh and incredulous and mocking.

“Are you trying to say you’re helping me? A _ghoul?_ What are you supposed to be, _friendly?_ ”

Yahaba feels an unnecessary bout of hurt. What was he expecting anyway humans are irrational.

“Say what you want to say,” Yahaba tells him. “But had I not gotten you out of there you would’ve died anyway.”

Kyoutani glares at him.

“Nobody asked you to save me, _ghoul,_ ” he says it like he’s cursing and Yahaba scowls. “You’ll get tired of me eventually and the next thing we know I’ll end up in your dinner table I’m not taking my chances.”

Another bout of hurt. Yahaba brings his hands down, fists by his sides and his eyes are weirdly stinging.

“If I had planned anything,” he says quietly, remembering the blood on his hands as he stitched the wounds and bandaged every sprain and fracture. “I would’ve already done it.”

Kyoutani is momentarily surprised by this reply and he goes back to frowning.

“Don’t lie to me, ghoul!” his voice is still loud and Yahaba’s worry is increasing by the moment.

“You can do anything you want!” Yahaba hisses. “You can kill me as soon as you’re able to stand but for the love of god keep your voice down because I may be a ‘friendly’ ghoul,” Yahaba’s tone is sarcastic. “But the others close by sure as hell aren’t.”

Yahaba breathes heavily from exertion, watches as Kyoutani’s gaze doesn’t leave him. Yahaba looks down and nudges the food tray towards Kyoutani.

“I…” Yahaba mumbles. “I mean it. I wasn’t planning to do anything. I was going to let you go, preferably with you still unconscious. I forgot humans don’t heal very fast,” Kyoutani makes an annoyed sound but Yahaba continues. “You can kill me anytime I have nothing to lose. But if you don’t want to get yourself in trouble you will lower your voice or you will shut up. I’m not the only ghoul in this building or the next.”

Yahaba takes another step back and he’s already out of the doorway.

“I-I made you food,” he says. “and the bathroom’s there. And…I’m just around. If you have any plans.”

And with one last inhale, Yahaba makes a run for it, hands shaking.

 

Kyoutani’s head is pounding. He’s still staring at the now empty doorway, no door attached so that he’s looking at the empty hallway now really.

He’s trapped here. With a stranger. _A ghoul._

Who the heck was that? _How do I get out of here?_ He’s going to end up being ghoul food if he stays here. _Is that food on the tray?_ No way is he eating that.

_I have to kill him. And then get out of here. How many days has it been? The raid—_

Kyoutani’s breathing turns ragged. The raid. How did they do? Where they successful? Kyoutani will find out and he intends to. He tries standing this time, hands supported on the bed but the moment he takes a step with his bandaged foot, his hiss of pain resonates in the room that he has to slump back down the bed.

Just until he can move his leg.

Just until then.

 

Yahaba comes back next time, with him the first aid kit to change Kyoutani’s bandages and when he stops by the doorway, he sees Kyoutani trying to stand up without moving his injured leg too much and failing several times in a row.

“You shouldn’t—” Yahaba starts and immediately stops when Kyoutani sends a glare towards him.

“What are you doing here?” Kyoutani snaps.

“T-To change your bandages.”

“Leave it. I don’t need your help.”

Yahaba’s hands grip tight on the first aid kit before setting it down on the floor. And then he notices the untouched food on the tray and Kyoutani talks before he could say anything.

“I don’t want anything touched by you,” Kyoutani says with the same amount of venom he’s keeping every sentence with. “I don’t want to see your face.”

And that fucking hurt somehow. That hurt despite the fact that Yahaba knows this is the most predicted outcome and yet here he is anyway.

He nods and leaves.

 

So Yahaba makes a new routine, just for the mean time until Kyoutani will leave. Yahaba times to leave food, water, and extra clothes when Kyoutani is sleeping, usually at night and he had sneaked in to grab his mask too just in case. And every single time, Yahaba returns and sees everything except the water untouched and he gets it. He gets it but he’s doing his best.

 

He hasn’t seen the ghoul around as told but food comes nevertheless and it makes Kyoutani feel uneasy that the ghoul had just been sneaking around while he was sleeping. He doesn’t touch anything, save for the water. He’s not giving in to this _he has to get out of here._

It takes another week before he can manage to stand upright with light pressure on his foot. But he can wobble around now and this is good. It’s perfect and he takes his quinque out after the long wait.

He intends to do it just after midnight, after he hears the ghoul’s light footsteps retreating after giving him his food. Kyoutani sits up and takes the briefcase from underneath the bed, turning the handle around in his hand and it glows purple at the click of a button, shape immediately changing and molding itself in Kyoutani’s hand until it becomes an elongated and glowing purple double-ended sickle.

He wobbles out into the hallway. He can make out the apartment now, one long hallway with the exit and the kitchen on both ends, rooms on the sides and a small nook by one of the doors and sees the telltale silhouette of the ghoul from what seems to be candlelight.

Unusual of all, Kyoutani can smell incense and he thinks _what the hell it’s the middle of the night._ But he moves further, one hand on the wall for support, the other tight around his quinque. This is it, he’s going to do it—

“It’ll be okay, mother, father. If he doesn’t kill me I’ll just go into hiding right? Silly…”

Kyoutani is suddenly rooted on his spot,unmoving.

“Anyway, good night as always…” The ghoul whispers fondly, now leaning back to stand and Kyoutani’s stomach is turning, his quinque suddenly very heavy in his hands.

 

Yahaba hears a sudden sound as he stands and his eyebrows knit as he turns his head.

There’s no one there.

Yahaba blinks, confused before glimpsing one last time to his parent’s altar before treading quietly towards his room.

 

 _Some other time._ Kyoutani thinks. _Some other time._ He didn’t know what to get from that. The academy had always ingrained it in him that ghouls imitate humans as much as they can. To fool. To kill. It’s a dangerous camouflage.

Perhaps this weird ghoul who’s been showing his “compassion” has made this imitation thing too much of a habit and Kyoutani lets him off this time. This time let him pray.

 

Kyoutani hasn’t made any progress and Yahaba knows why—it’s been two weeks and he hasn’t eaten anything Yahaba had prepared. It’s not a stab to his ego or anything, he’s as excited as Kyoutani to separate ways but he’s never going to heal if he’s not going to eat anything and this time, he decides to talk.

Yahaba wears his mask when he steps inside the room, trying to relieve his anxiety by breathing slowly.

Kyoutani bolts upright when he sees Yahaba enter, acting very territorial and his hands immediately scrambling for the briefcase. Yahaba exhales, raising his hands ever the slightest.

“Wait,” Yahaba says.

“What do you want?” Kyoutani demands, finger ready to activate his quinque.

“I just want to say,” Yahaba swallows. “I know you dislike it and all but if you want to leave here faster, you’re going to have to eat—”

Kyoutani scoffs. “To hell I am. I’m not ingesting anything you make.”

It hurt terribly, like a slap but Yahaba is also very exasperated and even annoyed at this point.

“You really think I’d drug you now?” Yahaba says, grinding his teeth. “Being a ghoul isn’t contagious you know.”

Kyoutani sneers. “Thank god.”

Yahaba balls his fists in anger.

“Fine. Do what you want, I’m trying my best here. I haven’t done anything wrong. If you die it’s _your fault_.”

 

The air is heavy when the ghoul whose name Kyoutani still doesn’t know, leaves. Kyoutani supposes if this was in human terms, he should feel sorry by now but he’s just confused here. He gets even confused every day. He’s never been in such close quarters with a ghoul before for a long time span. When he encounters them on fights they always look the same: bloody and dangerous and enraged and always out to kill civilians.

Kyoutani never thought he’d meet one close up, not even as close as this than with the ones at the Cochlea. Especially not one who actually seems _docile._

Kyoutani rubs his head, closing his eyes trying to make out something out of this.

 

When Kyoutani wakes up at around one am the first thing he notices is the smell of food. And to his surprise, it actually smells appealing and he just knows the ghoul didn’t make this one. Still, he’s suspicious firsthand before anything as he wobbles to the food tray, the only thing different this time is that it comes with a note.

 

_I didn’t make it. Human neighbor gave me some food._

_You might like it._

_Y.S._

Kyoutani doesn’t know if that’s some sort of affirmation he wants to believe in. He’s suddenly hungry however and that should mean something so he eats it after a short hesitation.

And he’s thankful he did because somehow most of his normal strength has returned and it’s enough strength for him to survey the small apartment. Looking for possible exits he can leave from, possible weapons he can use when doing the said exit and he’s about to go further when he hears nearly-pained sounding retching from inside the door next to the ghoul’s odd family altar.

This alarms Kyoutani for seconds and it takes him another few more trying to locate where it’s coming from until he’s sure it’s from that one door and since he’s still weak on his feet, he uses his quinque instead, one long swing slams the door open and Kyoutani almost stumbles back.

The ghoul is slumped against the toilet and he jerks up in a start when the door opens. He looks at Kyoutani with weary eyes, heaving breaths and then his eyes widen and the second later, he’s trying to hide his face with his hands.

Kyoutani swallows, blood running cold as he tries to comprehend the state the ghoul is in. He’s never seen a ghoul in this vulnerable position before. He’s sweating, light brown hair unruly and there’s a noticeable plate of food nearby, the same food Kyoutani had just eaten earlier.

Then Kyoutani thinks: _ghouls don’t eat human foo—_

The ghoul dry heaves, facing the toilet again. His back at Kyoutani is a wide, wide opening.

There’s a following aggrieved inhale.

“Go ahead.”

Kyoutani’s quinque twitches in his hand but he doesn’t move. Instead, his stomach is twisting, horrified, confused, _confused because ghouls don’t normally eat—_

“What the _hell?_ ” is what comes out of Kyoutani’s mouth instead.

The ghoul turns back around to face him, astonishment written on his features, face still half hidden in his hands.

His eyes are a light brown, irritated from tears.

He glances at the food on the floor and relaxes, resting his head on the side of the toilet.

His voice is hoarse when he says, “It’s a gift from the old lady on the next building. She’s very kind,” he coughs and Kyoutani just might be having a hard time breathing. “She doesn’t know about me and she gives me food now and then and I eat them because it’s such a waste—”

“Are you stupid?” Kyoutani finds himself demanding. He’s suddenly very mad about this. What was he _doing?_ What was he waiting for? He has to strike him down now that he’s very weak. He had his chance the other time now is—

The ghoul merely looks at him and then for the first time since they’ve met, he cracks the tiniest smile even though he’s this close to death.

“Maybe,” he says, smiling. “But at least I have manners.”

Kyoutani’s temper flares even more.

“Just because you’re saying this won’t stop me from killing you.”

The ghoul doesn’t even retaliate. He nods.

“Nobody’s stopping you, Kyoutani.”

This takes Kyoutani aback. Not because of his defiance no but because it’s the first time he’s said his name directly and he doesn’t know how he got it either.

The ghoul retches again, hand over his stomach and he groans.

Kyoutani’s jaw is set. He will kill him now. One swing will do it. One swing and he can go, he can leave here. One swing— _ghouls get sick when eating human food apparently_ —one swing— _weakens their system greatly_ —just one and he’ll get out— _a gift from a human? Is he stupid? How is he even friends—_ just one step forward and a short swing— _why is he like this?_ —one _fucking_ swing—

_Why does he do this?_

Kyoutani turns away.

 

Eating human food is always so painstaking and to Yahaba, every swallow is of sponge and dirt and spoiled food and every time he vomits it out, it feels as though his stomach will come along with it especially that he hasn’t eaten for almost a month now.

So when Kyoutani comes he almost welcomes the possibility of death and he was so sure of the strike being that he’s in his most vulnerable. Yahaba had even prepared himself, closing his eyes, already waiting for the pain until he heard footsteps walking away.

Yahaba’s eyebrows knit as his gaze goes to the open door to find that no one is there. Had Kyoutani willingly walked away? What was that? Was he planning a more torturous method of killing? Yahaba wants to throw up again.

Eventually the night passes and Yahaba is still somehow alive by the end of it but he doesn’t ask, oh he’d rather not.

 

This week, to Yahaba’s secret delight, Kyoutani had somehow started eating the food Yahaba makes and though he’s not sure how it would taste like—horrible, he guesses—he doesn’t ask again and rather not.

This week seems a good prospect. The faster he healed, the faster Yahaba can let him go and since Yahaba could sometimes hear Kyoutani walking around, it wouldn’t be long soon.

This week, Yahaba supposes it’s going to be better.

But this week, Kyoutani wakes up just past midnight to the sounds of shouting outside the main door and he sits up on the bed immediately.

This is not going to be better.

The shouts sound accusatory and vengeful and Kyoutani is trying to pinpoint what they’re saying as he struggles to stand.

“COME OUT THERE, YAHABA!”

“We know you’re hiding something there!”

“Shigeru~ You better get out of there before we do!” Taunting laughter.

 _Yahaba? Shigeru?_  Is that…? The ghoul? Why are they…?

Kyoutani hears brisk footsteps and Yahaba passing by his doorway, expression hard as he passes. Kyoutani limps toward the doorway, not stepping out but stopping so he can hear. His quinque is still underneath the bed but he’s bugged for some reason.

Are the other ghouls after Yahaba?

 

Yahaba’s heart is pounding. He expected this. He expects this he’s going to face it. He’s going to be calm. He’s going to— _there’s a living human in my house._ His hands are shaking when he opens the door and there are the three ghouls who live in his building.

Toushirou, Satoshi and Kouki had always been antagonistic towards Yahaba’s principles and since they aren’t under Oikawa’s rules anyway, they always manage to find ways to get into Yahaba’s peace of mind.

Yahaba tries keeping a straight face this time and just _hopes_ for once that Kyoutani stays put and doesn’t barge in announcing he’ll kill everyone.

“What are you doing here?” Yahaba asks them coldly.

“Don’t fucking lie,” Kouki scoffs.

“There’s a human in there,” Satoshi muses and Yahaba feels numb all over.

“Hiding a human in our territory,” Toushirou says sardonically, clicking his tongue. “Very naughty of you, Yahaba.”

Yahaba takes even breathes.

“I’m not hiding anything from you. Also, I live here so it’s my territory not yours.”

Kouki sneers and steps closer, getting into Yahaba’s face as he’s a good few inches taller.

“We’re not dumb. I can smell it from here, that little human you’re keeping.”

 _Shit._ Yahaba takes a discreet sniff. He doesn’t smell anything awry or maybe it’s just because he’s used to Kyoutani’s scent by now.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Yahaba says.

And Toushirou loses his patience. He cricks his neck and stretches his arms and suddenly his ukaku bursts behind him, kagune activating and Yahaba steps a tiniest step back, cautious.

“Hand him over, Yahaba.” He taunts and the other two sneer in excitement.

Yahaba’s feels dizzy. No. No not this, after all he's done then this not this—

“No.” Yahaba says.

The sound of the ukaku crystallizing is loud and Yahaba can see the glass shards being shot at in his direction before it strikes him on the cheek.

 

The familiar sound of kagune hardening and the unmistakable sound of glass shards being released and hitting on the floor has Kyoutani scrambling for his quinque.

What about Yahaba? What happened—? Kyoutani has to leave _now._

 

Yahaba is slapped across the face along with the shards of kagune that had struck his right cheek really bad, blood going down his chin in rivulets.

Toushirou pulls Yahaba to him with his collar, angry and pushy.

“We’ll go get him with you next time,” Toushirou promises. “That time you won’t escape.”

 

Kyoutani has the quinque in his hands, waiting by the doorway to swing at the stranger who will come in. He listens to the conversation and feels dread. Yahaba could’ve just sold me out. He could’ve just sold me out to find—

 

But then the door closes and Yahaba runs back to his room but before getting there, he trips.

Just in front of Kyoutani’s door and Yahaba looks up in a fright, hoping he didn’t wake Kyoutani but when he turns his head, he sees Kyoutani standing there looking horrified and Yahaba remembers, he’s not wearing his mask and Kyoutani doesn’t like seeing his face so he hides. He covers his face with his hands, wincing as he touches the open wounds, his kakugan now visible from the pain and he runs to avoid Kyoutani’s gaze, almost tripping back to his room.

 

Kyoutani doesn’t move even after Yahaba disappears.

His eyes—His face—he’s bleeding—

_W-Why did…?_

He doesn’t see Yahaba for a few days, him being sneaky and only ever leaving the food trays when Kyoutani is asleep so Kyoutani decides to stay awake for just this one and when he catches Yahaba’s footsteps at night, he talks before Yahaba can leave.

“So...‘Yahaba’ huh?” Kyoutani says, turning over in bed and sitting up.

Yahaba’s stock still at the doorway having just placed the tray on the ground. He’s not wearing a mask and Kyoutani can understand. The right side of his cheek is bandaged greatly and Yahaba looks bewildered and astonished that Kyoutani even knows his name.

“Er, yes.” Yahaba murmurs, looking as though he’s ready to bolt.

Kyoutani is still staring at the bandages.

“I thought ghouls are supposed to heal fast?”

Yahaba looks at his feet awkwardly.

“You’d rather not know,”

Kyoutani frowns. “Why not?”

Yahaba looks at him this time, a tiny bittersweet smile on his face.

“You wouldn’t trust me.”

“I had no plans to.”

Yahaba snorts. “Fair enough.”

Kyoutani raises an eyebrow. “So?”

Yahaba is back to looking like he wants to run away.

“I haven’t…er, eaten for a month now,” he says, as quietly as possible. “Weakens regeneration.”

Kyoutani’s trying to be open-minded about this. He really is but the mere thought of it still makes him cringe but he doesn’t say anything. He shoves everything aside for now. He’s got more questions than any other thoughts.

“Oh.” Kyoutani says.

Yahaba’s sarcastic little smile turns wider.

“Easier for you to kill me now, Kyoutani.”

Kyoutani makes a face.

“You know my name too huh?”

Yahaba leans on the doorway, looking proud of himself.

“On your quinque. _Kyoutani Kentarou. Associate Special Class._ Kyouken; _Rinkaku._ ”

Kyoutani nods. “Things you need to remember.”

Yahaba doesn’t say anything and he nods.

“So what did they want?” Kyoutani motions to the door.

Yahaba looks at him, scowling.

“Nothing much.”

There’s something going on with Kyoutani’s head as he tries to wrap his thoughts around this answer.

“And your face?” he finds himself saying, to keep the conversation going.

Yahaba unconsciously touches his face.

“It’ll be okay.”

 

Yahaba doesn’t know how it changed. One moment Kyoutani starts talking to him and then the next, he asks Yahaba to stay and talk when he eats. The clothes Yahaba had left him with are used much to Yahaba’s satisfaction and though every seemingly suspicious move gets Kyoutani to grab for his quinque, he seems oddly calmer now.

He can also walk around now too, like he proved to do when he went to the kitchen when Yahaba was trying to cook and he nearly sliced his fingers along with the meat when Kyoutani cleared his throat.

Yahaba supposes it’s too suffocating here.

 

Kyoutani places the spoon back on the plate, having just finished eating, for the first time in the kitchen instead of the room and he watches Yahaba walking around, wiping the counter despite not having eaten anything.

Kyoutani pushes his chair back and stretches his leg, still cramping so easily and all he wants to do is to _run_.

As if reading his mind, Yahaba _hmm_ s and with his back turned he asks, “Do you want to go for a walk?”

Kyoutani shoots him a glance like he’s lost his mind and he wonders if he should creep back inside the room to get his quinque—

Yahaba turns around and sighs, knowing Kyoutani’s suspicious glare.

“It’s nearly midnight,” Yahaba explains. “And the park would be empty. You want to walk don’t you? You can bring your quinque if you want.” And the “ _you can even leave_ ” suggestion is not said but is prominent in Yahaba’s tone.

Even the prospect of walking down a ghoul-infested neighborhood is already so appealing to Kyoutani just so he can _move_.

He’s already walking away before Yahaba can say anything more.

“Well? What are you waiting for jesus, hurry up.” Kyoutani grumbles as he goes and for a moment Yahaba finds himself amused enough to chuckle.

 

Kyoutani’s briefcase is shoved inside a suitcase for concealment and he lugs it around as the both of them discretely makes their way out of the apartment building, thankfully dark and silent at this time of the night.

The road is silent too, with only the sound of cicadas and the rolling of the suitcase wheels. The streetlights are dim and generally not well kept.

“We aren’t a well provided ward,” Yahaba tells Kyoutani though he never aired the question. “Lots of dangerous ghouls around it’s a wonder humans still want to live here,”

Kyoutani lets Yahaba walk ahead of him, watching him explain with the soft gestures of his hands. He’s taller than Kyoutani and it bothers him a lot especially that he knows relatively nothing about this guy.

_And all he’s ever done was being nice._

Kyoutani wants to smack himself for ever thinking that.

Yahaba’s still talking until he stops abruptly, going still so that Kyoutani almost bumps into him.

“Yaha—” Kyoutani starts, annoyed but Yahaba turns to him with a serene expression.

And then Yahaba smiles, it’s pretty disarming that Kyoutani shuts up.

“Don’t make a scene,” Yahaba whispers, and with his eyes he motions to a figure approaching them and Kyoutani’s immediately on guard, hand gripping the suitcase handle until—

Yahaba turns around, smiling still and Kyoutani sees that the newcomer approaching them is a middle-aged lady who waves at Yahaba enthusiastically.

“Shigeru-kun!” she says, brightly. Kyoutani scrutinizes her in a second, human. Definitely human.

“Awashima-san,” Yahaba says pleasantly and Kyoutani watches their exchange. “Why are you out so late? It’s dangerous out here alone.”

Awashima looks sheepish but she chuckles gratefully.

“Oh you’re such a darling, Shigeru-kun. I was out late for a party. Ah—what are _you_ doing out so late? Ghouls might getcha you know!” she laughs jokingly and Kyotani frowns at her.

Yahaba chuckles. “I’m very careful,”

Kyoutani almost snorts. Yahaba motions to him then as conversationally as possible.

“This is my friend, Kentarou. I’m walking him home.” Yahaba says it so casually Kyoutani is infinitely impressed.

Awashina takes all this with a kind grace and soon enough after a short chat, Kyoutani and Yahaba are alone again, Yahaba continuing to walk to the park as though no disturbance happened and for the first time in his twenty-four years Kyoutani looks at Yahaba and thinks, maybe there’s more to ghouls than he previously thought.

 

Yahaba sits on the swing as he watches Kyoutani run laps all over the parameter of the park looking very free for the first time and Yahaba almost envies him for it. Kyoutani walks back to him, sweating and breathing heavily after several more laps Yahaba didn’t really count and he sits beside him in the swings.

“Better?” Yahaba asks and Kyoutani grunts as an assent so Yahaba nods.

“I have a question.” Kyoutani says, not looking up. “How do you do it?”

Yahaba blinks. “Huh?”

Kyoutani looks at him this time, genuinely curious.

“Acting so human?”

“It’s not a party game. I was brought up like you. But with different eating habits.” Yahaba bites back a smile.

Kyoutani takes a second to catch his breath and then, “We’re supposed to hate each other.”

Yahaba folds his hands over each other. Of course.

“Are we? I don’t hate anybody. We do the things we do I suppose. I can’t really stop it if you want to kill me, it’s kind of your job.”

Kyoutani’s expression turns exasperated.

“Are you suicidal maybe?”

Yahaba raises his eyebrows, amused. “Why would you say that?”

“You’ve got to hate me even just a bit. You have to have the urge to kill me _even just a bit_.”

Yahaba laughs. “What do you take me for? I don’t hate you. Or the CCG. I don’t—”

Kyoutani stands up suddenly, looking at Yahaba expression disbelieving.

“There’s got to be someone in your family killed by the CCG. Like how my family got killed by your kind? I know you’ve got something to—”

“Why are you looking for a fight?” Yahaba asks calmly. “You heard me that one night right? Well my parents didn’t die because of the CCG. The One-Eyed Owl killed them so I have no grudge on you or anything,” And rather sardonically, “Time is an illusion, we all die anyway.”

Kyoutani doesn’t sit back down nor does he reply. Yahaba looks at the ground, his shoes digging on the earth.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Yahaba tells him gently. “We all suck sometimes.”

Kyoutani runs a hand through his hair and he exhales.

“Why did you save me that night?”

Yahaba doesn’t answer. He closes his eyes.

And he sees it: the flashbacks, _his mother pushing him back inside the room. Quiet, Shigeru you don’t want to be caught. His father is there and telling his mother to be quick. And then crashing, loud, loud crashing and the terrifying howl of the Owl. The derisive high pitched laughter. They shouldn’t have strayed from the Aogiri. They shouldn’t have went away and crack goes their bones—_

Yahaba opens his eyes, not knowing how many seconds has passed but Kyoutani is looking at him curiously and when Yahaba exhales, it’s shaky, his hands are trembling.

“I have this thing,” Yahaba says slowly. “Wherein I wouldn’t be able to sleep for days if I know I could’ve helped someone live but I didn’t help them.”

Yahaba eyes Kyoutani carefully. “I told you I don’t like killing. It’s not a very complicated concept. The only scuffle I had with the CCG ended up with me being under a funny name in their list but that’s about it. They never saw me again.”

Kyoutani studies him for a while and then without a word, sits back down the swing.

“My parents died when I was ten,” Kyoutani begins and Yahaba looks at him, surprised but Kyoutani looks serious, eyebrows knitted as he recalls memories. “We were in the wrong place, wrong time. The hotel we were staying at got ambushed by ghouls. I made it out, they didn’t,” he glances toward Yahaba with a softer expression this time. “You can almost see the moment I get very scornful.”

Yahaba purses his lips and nods.

“I get it.”

Kyoutani leans back, looking at the dark, dark sky devoid of stars from the city lights.

“I haven’t met a ghoul like you before,” he confesses. “And I don’t know what to make of it. I still probably hate you. I killed ghouls before and I hated them all.”

Yahaba’s chuckle sounds bitter. He clears his throat and he stands, intending to move to the monkey bars instead to be alone.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Kyoutani.” Yahaba tells him, stepping back, giving them space. They need this. They are too different to stay in one space.

But Kyoutani no longer looks hostile. Instead he looks troubled at this prospect and Yahaba doesn’t know if he should feel bad that he’s confusing him.

He doesn’t. And he starts to walk away when Yahaba hears a sound far off, footsteps walking to their direction and he seizes up.

Kyoutani, ears not sharp enough, stands and calls, “Yahaba, hold on—”

Yahaba whips around to face him, one finger against his lips to silence him, walking back to Kyoutani in a second.

“Shhh, be quiet for a moment,” Yahaba whispers, turning his head around to locate where the footsteps are coming from.

Kyoutani is as guarded. “Who is it?”

Yahaba scowls in concentration, Kyoutani eyeing his expression carefully.

“There are two. Ghouls. Both girls, one is a mother and— _oh,_ ” Yahaba relaxes at least slightly. “I know them.”

Soon enough, they catch the silhouette of a mother and child walking from behind them and in a sudden burst of anxiety, Yahaba gives a fleeting look to Kyoutani and his suitcase. He thinks fast, the quickest way he knows to hide someone’s scent at least momentarily.

Kyoutani feels himself being pulled towards Yahaba and the next thing he knows, Yahaba is hugging him from the looks of it, arms around him tight and he exhales in Kyoutani’s hair and then it’s over, Yahaba’s pulling back, his cheeks suddenly so pink in the dim light and he looks towards the coming strangers and all Kyoutani could think of at the moment is how nice Yahaba smelled. Minty but also with the detergent he uses for his clothes.

Perhaps he’d been expecting him to smell of blood for some reason.

The strangers turned out to actually be mother and child and they look pretty normal if it weren’t for the fact that Yahaba had said earlier they’re both ghouls.

“Yahaba-kun,” the mother says while Kyoutani lurks just behind Yahaba, suitcase tugged behind him and he’s looking at the child with a twinge of interest. Ghoul children huh.

“Minami-san. You’re out pretty late today.” Yahaba says, warmly.

“Oikawa-san did a lot of talking!” the child complains and Yahaba chuckles.

“Doesn’t he always?” Yahaba tells her and she nods enthusiastically.

The mother is now looking at Kyoutani’s direction and his stomach turns. Naturally, Yahaba steps in.

“Ah, Minami-san this is my friend Kentarou,” Yahaba says, motioning. So he does intend to keep the first name façade going. “He just recently moved in and I’m helping with his suitcase.”

Minami smiles at Kyoutani, nodding in understanding.

“I see. Well, it’s a surprise that you’re both still out here. It’s very dangerous now with the CCG prowling every now and then.”

Yahaba blinks. He does not know about this.

“T-They are?” he mumbles, trying to pass it off as simple worry but really largely for this time, the worry is real.

Minami nods solemnly. “Yes. After that incident a month back, they think maybe one of the investigators who ‘died’ might have had survived to live here and they’re trying to find if that’s a possibility.”

Yahaba swallows, doesn’t even try catching Kyoutani’s eye.

“Don’t worry! We’ll be careful, thanks.” Yahaba manages.

Minami’s daughter giggles. “Oikawa-san says you have to think of something you love so you won’t worry too much.”

Yahaba smiles and reaches out to pat her head.

“I’ll remember that, thank you.”

After another bout of well wishes, the Minamis leave and the moment they’re out of earshot, Yahaba gasps to Kyoutani, “I’m sorry for lunging at you earlier, I had to cover your scent and I just thought—”

“It’s fine.” Kyoutani interrupts, looking down at his suitcase.

“And your first name too, it’s easier if they didn’t know your—”

“It’s _fine_ , Yahaba,” Kyoutani says. “They’re looking for me huh.”

Yahaba rubs the back of his neck.

“Isn’t it…lovely,” Yahaba pauses. “We should get going don’t you think?”

 

Yahaba should have known it would be coming soon.

They’re at the parking lot of the apartment building when Kyoutani suddenly hisses behind him.

“ _YAHABA GET DOWN!_ ” Kyoutani’s fumbling with his suitcase, Yahaba turning to look at him, and then back just in time he sees the yellow glow of a rinkaku kagune barely missing his face and Yahaba almost stumbles back before he regains his balance and sees who’s in front of him.

It’s them again. Toushirou, Satoshi and Kouki with their kakugans activated and kagunes out in the dim light of the night. In seconds, Kyoutani has his quinque out, glowing purple and the three of them sneer.

“You _were_ keeping a human.” Toushirou says, his ukaku fluttering madly behind him.

“CCG,” Kouki adds, bikaku scraping the ground with a high-pitched screech. “I’ve never had a CCG before.”

Yahaba steps closer to Kyoutani, eyes angry and fists clenched.

“I’m not letting you have him,” _After all I did to keep him safe—_

“Attached are we, now?” Satoshi mocks. His yellow rinkaku is waving in the air, ready to strike once more and Yahaba doesn’t have the time for this.

“One question, Yahaba,” One of them says. “Do you want to get us all killed? You should give him up now and we will forget any of this ever happened.”

Yahaba’s about to step forward, anger getting the better of him and he immediately goes still when Kyoutani starts snickering. All eyes turn to him either in surprise and fury but when Kyoutani glances up his blue eyes, sharp as ever, smiling and unfriendly.

“You say a lot of shit for someone who doesn’t know.”

It’s what did it.

The three of them growl in protest and Satoshi is lunging, the most aggressive among them and his rinkaku takes a whip towards Kyoutani, which he immediately deflects with his quinque, the sound of screeching loud in the night.

Yahaba’s kakugan activates and watches as Toushirou and Kouki runs to him, kagunes ready and Yahaba exhales, focuses on what remaining RC cells he can compromise and meets them, running as well as his koukaku releases, hardens in to a metal plate and his rinkaku unfurls, barbed whips rattling ominously.

The rattling brings Kyoutani to his senses as he swipes at the ghoul he’s fighting with both ends of his sickle. The rattling—he looks around wildly for Yahaba and sees him smacking down one ghoul with his rinkaku, throwing him far off, all the while shielding himself with his koukaku and Kyoutani is surprised once more. How many chimera ghouls had he ever encountered?

There’s the rattling again as Yahaba whips around his rinkaku to fight the other one and Kyoutani remembers Yahaba telling him how the CCG gives funny names to their wanted ghouls and _Ah. Rattlesnake. That’s him._

“Got you hypnotized didn’t he? Got you caught up in his trap so he’ll eat you up for later,” The ghoul fighting Kyoutani, one who now has a long gash from his chest to his torso, disparages. Taunting and snickering for the life of him.

Kyoutani turns his sickle in his hands. His ankle is throbbing again, from the sudden movements and other than that thankfully, he hasn’t received much of a gash.

This ghoul is nothing.

He smirks. “You’re talking very wise for someone who’s coughing up blood.”

His answer is a growl and another whip that whizzes past him and Kyoutani, unaware and not too fast, gets smacked away a few yards back and his air leaves him as he hits the ground. He’s scrambling back to his feet immediately, knowing if he stays down he’ll never get up again and it’s certain with how the ghoul attacks him again.

It’s eyes are blind with rage, rinkaku whips attacking without much planning so Kyoutani can easily avoid them and when he gets the chance to see one of the whips aiming for him, he turns his sickle around and brings it down—

And cuts off one of the whip with a stroke.

The ghoul sinks to the ground, screaming curses and Kyoutani finally has the moment to run to Yahaba just as a bikaku makes a swipe for Yahaba’s kagune.

Kyoutani twirls his sickle in his hand and aims for the ghoul’s head but cuts off its arm instead and he clicks his tongue irritably as the ghoul moves away, shrieking as the first.

Yahaba gasps as he nearly misses dodging against a crystal shard from Toushirou. He can feel Kyoutani’s back against him and he’s breathing as hard as Yahaba is.

“Run,” Yahaba tells him gruffly.

Kyoutani makes an affronted noise.

“I am not a cowa—”

“THIS ISNT ABOUT BEING BRAVE, _RUN._ ” Yahaba smacks one of his whips down the pavement. Toushirou and Kouki are circling them both, both of them with ugly grimaces on their faces.

“I am not leaving you here!”

“This is your chance to go! Now _go!_ ” Yahaba gripes.

Toushirou laughs manically. “Ain’t love sweet?”

“ _SHUT UP._ ” Kyoutani and Yahaba says in unison, Yahaba’s rinkaku extending and swinging, knocking Toushirou out of his feet.

Kouki is cradling his bleeding stump of an arm, hissing through his teeth. His kakugan is dilated, red irises blown wide with wrath and he’s shaking.

“ _Kill you. I’ll k-kill you._ ”

Kyoutani twists his quinque around his hand.

“Come at me.”

And then Kouki is running at him. Toushirou is back on his feet and is sending crystal shards in Yahaba’s way which he’s deflecting with his koukaku. Yahaba’s trying to twist around, to make sure Kyoutani is okay and then he sees it.

Satoshi is back on his feet, one of his whips growing back again and he’s running.

Running towards Kyoutani, who’s unawares as he’s fighting Kouki still, and all ready to last out at him.

And Yahaba just blanks out, forgets about anything else when Satoshi lashes out and Yahaba’s about to go, he’s about to run, because Kyoutani—

A crystal shard embeds itself on his shoulder and Yahaba nearly topples over as he cries out in pain.

Toushirou sneers. “Distracted, are we?”

“ _Fuck you_.” Yahaba hisses and with the sound of rattling, thrashes his rinkaku and hits Toushirou on the face before he runs.

He runs now, he has to make it in time—

“ _KYOUTANI!_ ”

Yahaba’s voice. Yahaba’s voice? Kyoutani whips around just as Yahaba collides with him. There’s a flash of yellow and then the sound of flesh being pierced and suddenly, Yahaba sags against him, taking a long drag of breath.

Kyoutani freezes.

“Yaha…?”

“ _Satoshi_.” The ghoul with the ukaku snaps, almost like a scolding.

“You’re weren’t supposed to hit him!” The bikaku says, stepping away from them as Kyoutani tries to support Yahaba’s weight and they both sink to the ground.

“Yahaba,” Kyoutani whispers to him and Yahaba exhales a rattling breath.

Rinkaku goes, “I wasn’t trying to aim at him! I was going to hit the—”

“Oikawa’s going for your ass you moron!”

Kyoutani’s starting to panic. Yahaba still has his arms around him protectively and he’s wheezing silent, labored breaths.

“ _Yahaba_ ,” Kyoutani calls his name again and Yahaba pulls away weakly, glancing at him and blinking slowly. Both his kagunes have dissolved and his kakugan is already starting to disappear until Yahaba blinks once more and Kyoutani is just staring at tired brown irises and Kyoutani doesn’t know what to _do._

The bikaku steps towards them, still holding his stump close to his chest and his kagune waving behind him and his eyes are alight with madness.

“We can always finish them both,” he starts and in a second, Kyoutani has grabbed his sickle with one hand and is pointing it menacingly towards the ghoul.

“Come any closer and your arms are not the only limbs I’m taking,” Kyoutani threatens and the ghoul takes a cautious step back.

“Leave it, Kouki. Let’s get out of here, he’s going to die and Oikawa will be after us.” One of them has the smarts to say and Kyoutani’s temples are pounding with anger.

The ghouls have an immediate silent agreement and Kyoutani doesn’t watch them leave, focusing on Yahaba now who’s clutching at the bleeding on his stomach. Kyoutani’s own churns in desperation.

Yahaba’s shoulder is bleeding profusely as well and his stomach—

“He stabbed you,” Kyoutani hisses.

_No. You. He was going to stab you and he just—_

Kyoutani pulls Yahaba against him almost in a cradle, hands useless on him and he’s helpless with what to do.

“Why did you do that? He was going for me why did you do that?” Kyoutani asks repeatedly in hurried tones and he comes to that he _has_ to get Yahaba back to the apartment immediately, he has to patch him up. Isn’t he supposed to be a ghoul? Ghouls heal fast why isn’t he healing fast? Why…?

 _“I haven’t eaten for a month now,” Pause. “Weakens regeneration.”_ Fuck.

“Goddamit, Yahaba.” Kyoutani barks in annoyance. He tries to stand, his ankle suddenly flaring with pain and he grits his teeth against it, supporting Yahaba by his side and putting Yahaba’s arm over his neck and Kyoutani holding him by the waist. Kyoutani kicks his quinque ahead of him, no longer caring about the damage at this point.                 

“Kyoutani,” Yahaba mumbles, his feet dragging along the pavement. “You have to run now.”

Kyoutani is both pissed and insulted and he doesn’t know what’s winning over as he drags Yahaba inside the dark apartment building, still busy kicking his quinque ahead so he ignores Yahaba’s request.

“What room and what floor was that again? _Hurry up_ ,” Kyoutani demands  as they reach the bottom of the stairs.

Yahaba groans. “Kyoutan—”

“Yahaba don’t argue with me when you’re dying I’m not going anywhere now _what room, what floor_.”

Yahaba squeezes Kyoutani’s shoulder and it’s so weak, so weak Kyoutani wants to hurl.

“Fourth room,” Yahaba breathes shakily. “Fourth floor.”

Shit, that’s too far.

Kyoutani makes a new plan.

“Okay, hold on for a second,” he moves Yahaba carefully and with a swift placement of arms, Kyoutani lifts him up in his arms and Yahaba yelps in pain more than once.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s easier this way—”

“Kyoutani your leg—”

“Yahaba, worry about your damn self for once, will you?”

 

Kyoutani’s back to limping again when they get to Yahaba’s apartment and since the closest room to the door is Kyoutani’s he takes Yahaba there and gently sets him on the bed and Kyoutani watches as Yahaba lays there breathing shallowly and the panic is back because Yahaba looks like he’s drifting to sleep.

Kyoutani’s by his side at once, hovering. Yahaba’s eyes are unfocused and Kyoutani holds his face with his hands to get his attention.

“Yahaba, listen, just this once please listen to me, don’t fall asleep just yet, please,” Kyoutani murmurs.

Yahaba’s eyes focus on him and Kyoutani feels a surge of energy.

“Yes, yes, look at me. I just need to go get the bandages okay? I’ll be quick, don’t fall asleep, stay with me. Yahaba can you hear me?”

“Kyoutani…” It’s almost a whisper.

Kyoutani clenches his jaw. “Yes, it’s me.”

He hates him. He’s supposed to hate him. He’s still a ghoul who eats people for survival. He’s still a ghoul bringing a big mess to the society Kyoutani lives in and they’re just multiplying. Kyoutani was taught to hate him. Taught how to cut his kind to pieces without batting an eye. Taught that his kind only kills and is to be killed because of it. He looks at Yahaba now and he’s supposed to be grabbing his quinque, to take advantage of the fact that he might be dying anyway.

But he’s never done anything wrong to give any reason to hate him.

“It’s me, I’m still here.” Kyoutani says as his walls break.

 

Yahaba only nods when he promises to stay awake long enough and Kyoutani’s out of the room in a flash, going to the most probably location of the bandages.

Yahaba’s thoughts are murky and bizarre. Where is he? At home? Is he gone for good? Is he finally dead? But when he moves his fingers, he feels the soft bed. He moves his head and he can smell Kyoutani off of the sheets, sharper than ever and it smells so warm and musky and

It smells good.

It smells _too_ good and Yahaba’s salivating and he knows then that something is wrong and he’s looking for something else other than comforting arms and his immediate thought is _no no no, he’s your friend_ Is he a friend? He is. He is, he’s not foo—

_Flesh. He’s flesh and human skin and bones and organs and blood—_

_No no no no no NO_

_But you want flesh and organs and you want to eat—_

“Yahaba,” Kyoutani skids back inside the room holding Yahaba’s first aid kit and he’s back to Yahaba’s side, fumbling with the bandages in his hand.

No. No he has to stay away he has to _move._

Kyoutani moves closer.

“We have to remove your shirt, your wounds—”

He touches Yahaba’s arm gently.

His touch feels like fire.

Yahaba jerks away from his touch, covering his face and inhaling slowly, calculated and his hands are shaking.

The sudden flinch has Kyoutani scowling in confusion. Yahaba’s covering his face and he’s breathing loudly. Something is wrong, something is wrong.

“Yahaba, what’s going on?”

_Flesh, human skin, bone, muscles, meat—_

_no NO NO No no NO HE is—his name is—_

“Kentarou,” Yahaba gasps. _He’s your friend, he’s your friend he’s not food—you don’t kill—_

Yahaba’s eyes are shut tight and Kyoutani hovers him again, prying Yahaba’s hands away from his face, holding them in one hand and caressing Yahaba’s cheek gently.

“Hey, hey, relax. It’s okay, are you in pain? What can I do? Tell me!”

Yahaba’s eyes suddenly flash open and his kakugan appears, red veins mapping black sclera, red irises staring and he’s panting, his hands are shaking and _oh._

“You’re hungry.” Kyoutani whispers, heart pounding. What can he do? He can’t do anything he…

Yahaba lifts his arms weakly and shoves Kyoutani’s chest away with poor effort.

“Get away from me,” Yahaba pleads. _His skin, just one bite and it’ll all be—_ “Kentarou, _please_.”

Kyoutani shakes his head, out of ideas but he wants to know.

“Let me help you.”

Yahaba shakes his head repeatedly. There’s sweat beading on his forehead and every word that comes out of his mouth sounds strained, jaw clenched.

“I might hurt you, please go,” It comes out like a sob. “You can leave now, so _go_.”

_Me. I can help you. How much does it take to revive a ghoul? To heal his wounds?_

Kyoutani doesn’t move from where he is, still holding on to Yahaba’s hands and caressing his cheek.

“I’ll help you, I’m human. You need that this moment right?”

Yahaba’s hands are shoving Kyoutani again, clawing at his collar.

“Don’t say that, I will hurt you,” Yahaba whispers. _Go ahead, he offered this is your chance—_ Shut up. _No, no no no._

Kyoutani breathes, blinking, blue eyes like fire. His hands rest on each side of Yahaba’s jaw, gentle, so gentle and so close their noses are almost touching.

“I don’t think you will.”

Yahaba’s hands move to Kyoutani’s neck, nails scratching his skin softly sending small shivers down Kyoutani’s body. He’s waiting for Yahaba to move, dead serious about this and Yahaba’s self-control is already slipping bit by bit.

Yahaba pulls him close and Kyoutani lets himself be dragged along, shifting his position so that he’s on top of Yahaba at a much easier reach and his scent intensifies, almost dizzying. Yahaba’s fingers are cold and trembling as he buries his face against Kyoutani’s neck, his nose tracing the curve along it as he inhales.

He smells so inviting, so warm and the voices in Yahaba’s ears are telling him to bite and tear but Yahaba grinds them away not wanting any of it. He presses kisses along Kyoutani’s neck, his adam’s apple and licks a stripe from there to his jaw, using his teeth to graze on the skin but not biting but god he wants to, he wants to he tastes _so_ —

“Shigeru,” Kyoutani sounds choked, almost unraveling. He tilts his head to the side and Yahaba moves his mouth upwards, teeth scraping but not leaving any marks, just tasting. He wants more of this but he shouldn’t.

Yahaba catches Kyoutani’s earlobe in his mouth momentarily and Kyoutani can hear his pants directly.

“Do it,” Kyoutani whispers.

Yahaba presses gentle kisses along Kyoutani’s jaw, stops when he reaches his cheek.

“No,” Yahaba says softly against his skin.

Kyoutani turns his head so he can look at Yahaba again and Yahaba’s hands flutter to Kyoutani’s cheeks. His eyes are gazing around his face, expression full of interest as his fingers lightly touch Kyoutani’s lips, his nose, his eyelashes, his eyelids and Kyoutani wonders if Yahaba’s been this close to a human before.

Yahaba tilts his head up, seeking.

“Can…Can I…?”

 His unfinished question sends bursts of warmth in Kyoutani’s chest.

“Yes.”

And he leans forward pressing their lips together and it's slow and sweet as the moment warrants it. Kyoutani's hands move to Yahaba's shoulders, careful not to touch his wound but there to keep himself steady and sane, that this is real and they're here even if it's just for a moment.

Yahaba pulls Kyoutani to him, breath whistling and hot against each other tugging back and again trying to taste more of him, and the voices are telling him to bite and when Kyoutani slides in once more, Yahaba does just that— _too hard_ by accident and the side of Kyoutani’s lip splits and Kyoutani makes a growling noise at the sudden sting.

But oh, Yahaba loves it, suddenly his mouth tastes like him and Kyoutani and the tangy, coppery taste of blood and there’s so much, Yahaba needs _more_. He licks at Kyoutani’s lip, mumbling soft apologies and Kyoutani answers by sliding his hands underneath Yahaba’s shirt, his cool fingers leaving goosebumps on Yahaba’s skin as he pulls his shirt up.

Then the fabric snags against his wound and Yahaba nearly cries out in pain, his shout turning instead into high-pitched whines against Kyoutani’s lips.

“Sorry, sorry,” Kyoutani’s murmurs are accompanied with feather light touches and soft kisses and Yahaba distracts himself by licking at the blood on his lips as Kyoutani pulls his shirt off, carefully around his wounds.

Kyoutani sits up to remove his own and Yahaba follows him forgetting the pain for a moment and he lopes his arms around Kyoutani’s neck to keep him from falling back. He nuzzles against Kyoutani’s neck, down to the curve where his shoulder starts and bites again, breaking skin but not tearing and he hears Kyoutani groan one more time as Yahaba licks at the new bite.

“ _Shigeru,_ ” Kyoutani huffs.

“ _More_ ,” Yahaba insists and drags Kyoutani back to bed but twisting around so he settles on top of him and Kyoutani is more than obliging to comply.

Yahaba’s looking down at him with a new light in his eyes. Wonder, hunger, and self-control he’s trying to obviously keep up that his hands are shaking as he’s pinning Kyoutani underneath him. Kyoutani’s hands wander to Yahaba’s thighs, still clothed in jeans and his thoughts fill with the need to take them off _now_.

Yahaba leans closer once more, finding another spot on Kyoutani’s shoulder and biting gently.

“Shigeru,” Kyoutani chokes out again.

Yahaba breathes against his skin.

“Can I taste you?” he whispers, voice strained and sensual. Kyoutani’s answer comes in hitched breaths and gripping fingers. Yahaba takes this as consent before his kisses move down to Kyoutani’s arm, his hands, kissing and teeth grazing Kyoutani’s fingers as he sits up with Kyoutani watching him intently as he takes each digit in his mouth, each lick going straight to the heat pooling in Kyoutani’s stomach.

Yahaba takes his time, his nails still dragging down Kyoutani’s chest as Yahaba stops at his hip, _bites_ and hears Kyoutani’s strangled moan at the pain. With blood now dripping down his chin, still hungry for more of the taste and fighting from tearing anything bigger.

He unbuttons Kyoutani’s jeans and Kyoutani all but groans when he feels Yahaba’s warm tongue on him, swallowing him deep and Kyoutani’s sure he’s trembling as he tilts his head back, trying to keep the noises he wants to make down.

He comes before he knows it and Yahaba’s sitting up again, looking at him with his kakugan glowing brighter than a few minutes ago. He licks his lips slowly before leaning back to Kyoutani just looking at him with interest still in his eyes.

Kyoutani reaches for him and their lips meet again with an urgency, murmurs of their names passing in gasps and moans and Yahaba licks at the cut that’s no longer bleeding on Kyoutani’s lip.

“You’re not safe here.” Yahaba whispers to him when they break apart, foreheads and noses touching.

“Perhaps.” Kyoutani breathes.

 

 

Yahaba wakes up in Kyoutani’s arms and he sits up slowly, careful not to wake him. He stretches his arm and winces, looks over his wounds to see they’ve scabbed over, overnight, longer than it’d take Yahaba to usually heal. That done and survived at least, Yahaba changes and goes ahead to the kitchen.

He’s nearly done through pancakes when there’s insistent knocking on the door that startles him enough he almost drops the pan. The knocking doesn’t stop and frowning, Yahaba goes to check and he sees Kyoutani peering outside the doorway looking at the door suspiciously.

“I’ll get it, stay there,” Yahaba tells him as he walks past and Kyoutani creeps back inside the room.

Yahaba peers through the peephole and sees someone who confuses him even more.

“Kageyama?” is Yahaba’s greeting when he opens the door.

Kageyama stands up firm and too serious for this time of the day.

“Yahaba-san,” Kageyama says. “We heard about last night and Oikawa-san is very worried.”

Oh shit—

Yahaba swallows. “I’m doing better now, thank you. You can tell him.”

Kageyama nods. “You can tell him yourself. He and Iwaizumi-san want to ask you a few things and they’re going to visit later. I came here to tell you.”

Now Yahaba is the one feeling frozen, his expression turning from shock to horror.

“Hold on, he’s _coming here?_ ”

Kageyama nods, looking confused.

“I just said—”

“ _When?_ ”

“In an hour or so, he wanted me to tell you beforehand,”

Yahaba’s air leaves him in alarm and hurriedly he exclaims, “Okay! Bye! Thank you!” and shuts the door on Kageyama’s face, running towards Kyoutani’s room where Yahaba finds him changing.

He looks up at Yahaba who’s now scurrying around the room, dropping Kyoutani’s used clothes, the first aid kit, anything he’s touched before in a basket as fast as he could.

“What’s going on?” Kyoutani asks, perplexed.

Yahaba shoves him away from the bed as he takes the sheets and blankets too.

“Oikawa-san’s coming to visit me,” Yahaba wheezes, voice filled with dread.

Kyoutani scowls. “Let me guess, he’s some higher up ghoul?”

Yahaba pauses just a moment.

“Oikawa’s like…he’s like my older brother. Everyone respects him and he protects everyone close to him. He’s, uh, a little notorious with the CCG…”

Kyoutani raises an eyebrow.

“You folk call him the _Grand King_ ,” Yahaba says before ducking to the bathroom to continue dumping objects Kyoutani’s scent might have stuck.

 _Grand King._ The name rings a bell to Kyoutani, an SS-rate with a rinkaku and a half-kakuja. He’s always accompanied by another ghoul too.

Yahaba comes out of the bathroom, sweating and murmuring things under his breath in a hurry.

“Is he the one with _Knight?_ ” Kyoutani asks and that seems to bring Yahaba back to earth.

“Ah, yes. Iwaizumi-san, they’re…always together. Kyoutani go hide in my room and bring these—”—he dumps the basket in Kyoutani’s arms—“—my room smells like me that’ll hide you at least partially, now go, go—” He starts pushing Kyoutani out of the room.

“But what about—”

“I’ll do something about the room, just _go_ now they’ll be here soon!”

Yahaba waits until Kyoutani has disappeared before he faces the room again, trying to relax his nerves.

_It’ll be fine, it’ll be okay._

He lets his kakugan activate, feels the sharp piercing on his lower shoulder blades and lower back but when the skin ruptures he doesn’t let his kagune out, instead it comes out as a gas with ominous rattling to hide Kyoutani’s scent.

He’s barely gone around the apartment when there’s soft knocking on the door which Yahaba runs for, kakugan disappearing and already feeling very tired.

“Yahaba-chan!” Oikawa greets cheerily at his door, Iwaizumi behind him, nodding in greeting. “Can we come in?”

“O-Of course! Sure,” and Yahaba steps aside to let them in.

Oikawa turns to him no sooner, smiling.

“Can we talk?”

 

Kyoutani has his back against Yahaba’s door, listening to the new voices outside with growing anxiety. He tries distracting himself by looking around the room instead. Yahaba doesn’t keep a lot of furniture besides the bed, a dresser and a table. Despite everything though, he still strains to hear.

“How have you been doing?” asks a cheery, lighthearted voice that Kyoutani assumes to be Oikawa. They’re probably lingering in the hallway.

Yahaba sounds calm when he says, “I’m pretty alright, thank you.”

The unfamiliar voice turns slightly worried.

“After last night? I heard about last night,” Oikawa’s voice turns cold. “Don’t worry about it though, I’ve sent Watari and Yuda after them for attacking you out of nowhere.”

 _Out of nowhere? Does he not know?_ Kyoutani scowls. He supposes that’s a good thing.

Yahaba sounds surprised. “Eh? But Oikawa-san—”

“Now, now miscreants deserve to be punished don’t you think? Don’t worry about a thing now what are your injuries?”

Kyoutani could almost see Yahaba doing that habit of his when he wrings his fingers in nervousness.

“They’ve scabbed over—”

“But what are _they_ ,” It’s another voice this time and Kyoutani tilts his head. It’s a deeper voice than Oikawa’s.

“My stomach and shoulder it’s alright, Iwaizumi-san…”

“Hmm, Yahaba we’re off to get food tonight,” Oikawa interjects. “I’d like you to come. How long has it been since you ate?”

Kyoutani freezes. _Food._

“….um, a while.”

Oikawa’s laugh is breathy and sounds practiced.

“Perfect, I’ll be here later. Iwa-chan, let’s go—Iwa-chan…?”

Kyoutani doesn’t move, doesn’t even take a breath when he hears footsteps directly behind him, behind the thin door.

“Something smells odd,” Iwaizumi mumbles.

There’s Oikawa’s laugh again, it makes Kyoutani wary.

“Aw, Iwa-chan, very rude! He’s just joking, Yahaba! Hajime, let’s go~”

 

Oikawa gives him a look, a knowing smile somehow with a sparkle of meaning in his eyes that makes Yahaba’s stomach drop.

“See you later, Yahaba-chan.”

The moment they leave, Yahaba bounds to his room just as Kyoutani opens the door.

“H-Hey!” Yahaba stammers, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kyoutani smiles crookedly, his expression considerate as he leans on the doorjamb.

“That went well,” he says.

Yahaba nods, relieved. “Yes it did.”

Kyoutani exhales slowly, looking down.

“You should go with them later.”

Yahaba blinks, raising his eyebrows in astonishment.

“But I—”

Kyoutani clicks his tongue. “You don’t get a say in this. Your wounds heal faster when you eat right? Then you do just that.”

Yahaba shifts on his feet. “The ghouls, they might come back and I—”

Kyoutani snorts. “You forget that I’m an Investigator. What are a few S-rated ghouls, huh?”

“There were _three—_ ”

Kyoutani rolls his eyes. “Don’t be stubborn.”

Yahaba closes his mouth, smiling slightly.

“Okay.” He says, turning to walk towards the kitchen when Kyoutani grabs his hand making him look at him again.

“Wait,” Kyoutani says, stepping close and before Yahaba can utter a word, he tugs him down and kisses him, soft and sweet, his thumb stroking Yahaba’s jaw as his hands linger on his neck.

“Good morning, by the way.” Kyoutani whispers when they break apart.

 

They leave at midnight and by the time Yahaba has went down the apartment building, mask already on his face, Oikawa, Iwaizumi and other familiar faces are waiting for him.

Oikawa is twirling his own mask with his finger and he stares at Yahaba with that look again, as though he knows something nobody should and it makes Yahaba slightly uneasy.

“Yahaba-chan!” Oikawa coos. “Great, you’re here now,” Oikawa grins. “Shall we go?”

Thankfully, they don’t go to the hillside where Yahaba had found Kyoutani and instead settled for another cliff. Far down there, Yahaba can smell something so alluring his stomach is definitely growling.

Oikawa sidles next to him as Yahaba’s peering down the edge trying to incorporate the delicious scent to his system.

“A lot of people have their reasons to jump,” Oikawa mutters, and Yahaba can see his kakugan activating as Oikawa lowers his mask. Oikawa’s kagune unfurls as well, a bright blue rinkaku he has complete control over. “They jump here to die,” Oikawa continues. “We jump to live.”

And he leaps.

 

Yahaba’s close behind him in an instant, excessive hunger not sated from last night on him at once, feeling immensely brutal as he pounces on one of the bodies and starts tearing, eating he can’t stop himself, it’s been ages—

And like often, Yahaba blacks out completely.

When he comes to, Yahaba’s done with a body and he decides it’s enough. He backs away, wiping his hands on leaves while he waits for the others to finish so he can go.

“In a hurry are we?”

Yahaba jumps when Oikawa joins him, looking very neat as though he hasn’t got blood on him for the past hour.

Yahaba pats down his clothes, makes sure his mask is still on his head.

“Not at all,” he tells Oikawa.

Oikawa looks around, seems to be careful if anyone else is listening.

“I’ve been wanting to ask by the way,” he finally says.

Yahaba stares at him. Oikawa’s expression is careful.

“If there’s a human in your vicinity,” he continues. “Particularly living in your own home.”

“Oikawa-san—”

Oikawa holds a hand up. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m just asking. You don’t do foolish things without a reason, Yahaba.”

Yahaba wrings his hands. No point in hiding it now while he’s being roasted.

There’s a beat of silence.

“If I say I can explain, will you listen?” he murmurs.

Oikawa grins. _So it’s true._

“Certainly.”

Yahaba tells him in clipped phrases. “I wasn’t able to come along with you guys that night…for gathering…so I went to the hillside I always went to and…there was an accident, with the CCG vans and—” Oikawa is raising his eyebrows in such a judging manner that Yahaba feels a little discomfited. “—uh I saw him. He was terribly wounded and the other ghouls were coming and I just—”

“Stop,” Oikawa interrupts. “I understand. It’s okay, calm down.”

Yahaba purses his lips.

“Are you attached to him?”

The question startles him. “A-Ah, I don’t get—”

“He helped you to survive the night,” Oikawa muses. “He must be attached to you at least.”

Yahaba shakes his head. “No, no it’s nothing like that,” _Maybe a little more but—_

Oikawa smiles sadly. “Though I would’ve preferred if it’s someone you could introduce to the family.”

Yahaba’s heart is pounding somehow. “Oikawa-san,”

“I just want you to be careful,” Oikawa says. “Humans are irrational, Yahaba and he’s going to have to leave sometime.”

“I know,” Yahaba looks down. “It’s not safe here.”

Oikawa seems amused. “‘Not safe here’”

Yahaba quirks a smile.  “I nearly died the other night, didn’t I?”

Oikawa nods. “Be careful. Let’s get going.”

 

It’s sunrise by the time Yahaba gets home, still in a daze that Oikawa somehow didn’t stop him and he’s not sure if that could mean a good thing.

He’s rather unfocused that when he walks past Kyoutani’s room, he doesn’t realize it’s empty. He takes does a take back and his hands grip at the doorway.

Kyoutani’s quinque isn’t there and since Yahaba had removed Kyoutani’s things here from yesterday he can’t really tell—

 _Perhaps he’d gone?_ Yahaba feels hurt somehow. He expects this to happen, after all he’s told him many times to go and run and maybe Oikawa’s right, he’s attached isn’t he? Well that’s too late—

There’s an awful familiar smell coming from the kitchen that Yahaba wrinkles his nose. He steps away from Kyoutani’s room and walks slowly down the hall to the kitchen.

And he finds Kyoutani there, facing the stove as he’s cooking something in concentration and the image of him there, wearing Yahaba’s clothes too is just so warming that Yahaba leans against the kitchen door, making it creak.

Kyoutani jumps, turning around and immediately reaching for the quinque case beside him and Yahaba bites back a grin as he raises his hands.

“Oh,” Kyoutani says, scowling, displeased from being startled.

“Just me,” Yahaba says, lowering his hands slowly.

“Yeah, welcome back.” Kyoutani busies himself with his cooking again.

Yahaba wrinkles his nose again.

“Smells terrible,” he comments.

Kyoutani smirks. “For you, that means it’s good for me.”

“Are you sure? It smells like sponge.”

“Stop it.”

Yahaba chuckles softly.

Kyoutani focuses on the pan in front of him, trying to piece what he wants to say.

“How’d it go?” he asks instead with much hesitance.

Yahaba pauses. “It went well,” he sees Kyoutani nod slowly so he adds, “Oikawa and the others choose to be like me so—”

“I’m not saying anything. It’s good you’re okay.”

Yahaba feels another bubble of warmth in his chest. Attachment. No, he has to remember.

“I have something to talk about,” Yahaba tells him. Kyoutani doesn’t answer immediately as he turns the stove off and faces Yahaba.

“Okay.”

He’s reluctant even when it leaves his lips.

“I promised you I’d let you go once you’re well,” Yahaba says. “It’s not safe here.”

The tension in the air is heavy, almost sad.

Then, “I know. I haven’t forgotten,” Exhale. “Tell me when it’s convenient.” _So I have time._

Yahaba’s smile is neither happy or displeased.

 

They find the time with minimal personal discussions and they decide to leave after sunset. Yahaba watches by the bed as Kyoutani fixes himself, suitcase by his side and ready to go. Yahaba closes his eyes for a second, feeling the sheets underneath his fingers. It seemed ages ago when he carried him here.

“Shigeru.”

Yahaba blinks his eyes open.

“Hmm?”

Kyoutani tilts his head.

“Let’s go?”

_Of course, of course._

“Sure,” Yahaba stands and sees Kyoutani rub his arms a couple of times before deciding he’s cold and then he’s retrieving a jacket of his and wrapping Kyoutani with it in one movement that Kyoutani looks up at him in a start.

“It gets really cold outside,” Yahaba explains as he fixes Kyoutani’s collar. “You can keep it. I don’t go outside unless needed anyway.”

Yahaba’s hands are cold on Kyoutani’s collar and he seems to be trying to avoid giving away any sort of expression whatsoever. Even the smile he makes when he pulls away looks false.

“There you are,” Yahaba says stiffly. “Shall we?”

 

With his mask in place and Kyoutani’s quinque already by his side, they make it faster to the 13th ward’s CCG headquarters with the help of Yahaba’s kagune so that they arrive just before dawn. They stop short and hide at the nearby thick foliage however when Yahaba sees several CCG vans with investigators strolling around parked directly around the main doors of the headquarters.

“Raids are routine work,” Kyoutani tells to Yahaba before he can air the question. “Sometimes there is no sleep done until we accomplish something, say kill a certain ghoul. I guess they’re still going through the possibility that people in the accident are still alive huh?”

Yahaba quirks a smile, pushing his mask up his head.

“You’re alive.”

Kyoutani looks at him intently and all of the things that they’ve gone through for the past month seems to flash in his mind.

“Yes I am.”

Yahaba is not the type of person to cry. He’s never really cried since his parents died and little things did not matter enough for him to take the effort to cry about it.

This time however, it’s exceptionally difficult to rein those in.

“That’s right. Okay,” Yahaba says, stepping away from him now. “You take care.”

Kyoutani feels a boulder-sized lump on his throat as he watches Yahaba who’s avoiding his gaze.

“Thank you.” He manages.

Yahaba blinks furiously, looking down and nodding.

“Do me a favor,” Yahaba says. “If anything happens to me, don’t do anything.”

Kyoutani’s eyes widen and he makes an indignant noise.

“Shigeru—”

Yahaba shakes his head. “Your humanity before anything. _Now go._ ” _Before I change my mind._

Yahaba’s eyes don’t leave him as Kyoutani walks toward the center of where the vans are situated, just in front of the main doors and making sure everyone sees him and Yahaba tenses, in the bushes ready to jump should anything happen.

He steps back when Kyoutani’s finally reached them, hoping to feel at peace finally but having qualms about it still.

He steps back without turning, mask already lowered on his face.

Feels a barrel of a gun dig into his spine.

Yahaba’s blood runs cold, not even able to utter a gasp.

“Don’t move, ghoul.” A cold voice rings out behind him.

 

Kyoutani has his hands in his pockets, trying to relax and then the shouts—

“Kyoutani-san…?”

“IT’S KYOUTANI!”

“He’s alive!”

Kyoutani tries to relax as all of their attention turns to him. None of them approach just yet, still apprehensive and in shock and is murmuring loud, unintelligible noises to Kyoutani.

“Yeah, it’s me, I’m alive.”

“Kyoutani-san!” Most of them say, running for him and then they’re hugging him even though Kyoutani can’t really recall who most of these people are but he accepts it, accepts being alive.

Somehow, he manages to relinquish himself from their pats and embrace.

“Yes, it’s me, I’m here.”

“How…?”

“What happened? How did you—”

 _How did you survive?_ How _did_ he survive? Kyoutani thinks about it and bursts into short laughter, everyone looking at him as though he might be crazy but that just might be the case.

“How did I survive?” Kyoutani tells them, laughing spitefully. “That’s _funny—_ ”

The sound of a gunshot silences everyone and they look around with confusion on their faces, mumbling intelligible noises again. _What was that? Did you hear that? That’s weird—_

Kyoutani feels a shiver, eyes widening in fear. From what direction? Where did it come from? _Shigeru—_

Then the shouts come and Kyoutani’s sure his heart will shoot out of his chest.

“GHOUL SIGHTED! THERE’S A GHOUL!”

The crowd disperses at once, running back to their vans or grabbing their quinques and suddenly the air is filled with shouts and instructions and _fear_. Kyoutani stands there frozen in the midst of it all, quinque ignored as he watches various investigators readying to kill a ghoul they don’t know what to expect—perhaps it’s of an SSS magnitude?

 _I work with these people_. Kyoutani finds himself thinking, still unmoving, letting himself be hit by people running past him. _What if it’s Shigeru?_

And just far off to their left where the thick foliage hides the path they trekked on is the familiar slap and rattle of a rinkaku.

 

Yahaba whips around instinctively, taking tottering steps toward the opposite direction instead. The investigator looks passive, cold and unforgiving as he points a quinque fashioned into a gun at Yahaba with determination. He’s wearing the common white coat and suit investigators wear and he looks just about ready to pull the trigger.

“Die, ghoul.” The investigator says simply. Pulls the trigger.

 _Not today._ Yahaba’s koukaku materializes, his rinkaku following as he shields the side of his body as he runs.

Two more shots are delivered and one conveniently lodges inside one of Yahaba’s whips that he cries out and stumbles in the path.

He hears simultaneous things at once as he’s trying to gain balance: the investigator’s hurried steps towards him and the cocking of his gun, shouts from various other investigators from afar and—

“Shigeru!”

Yahaba freezes.

“Kyoutani-san, no!”

“Kyoutani! Hold back it’s dangerous!”

Yahaba is on his feet at once.

“No!” he exclaims before facing forward and the investigator tailing him smacks him on the face with his quinque, sending Yahaba’s mask flying off and him stumbling out of the thick bushes and onto the asphalt. When he sits up, several quinques are pointed at him.

“STOP! NO!”

Yahaba glances back and his eyes meets Kyoutani’s who is struggling from the hold of two other investigators.

“No,” Yahaba whispers.

“DON’T HURT HIM!”

“Kyoutani, get a hold of yourself!”

“He’s delirious, he can’t see sense, someone get the medic—”

_Don’t hurt him, don’t hurt him._

“Is he important?” The investigator asks him and Yahaba looks at him in morbid surprise to find he’s pointing his gun at him.

“A chimera huh. What’s your name ghoul? Will you cooperate?” The investigator spits the questions out.

“KURODA GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Yahaba clenches his fist. _Stop, stop don’t fight them, don’t._

Kuroda raises an eyebrow, flicks a glance from a really angry Kyoutani who’s now attempting to kick the investigators holding him, and then to the ghoul in front of him, an interesting chimera not even doing a single thing to fight back.

Kuroda shoots at his feet and Yahaba jumps back, adrenalin making his heart thump too fast and his hands are trembling as the shot nearly misses him.

Kyoutani is beyond rage, elbowing both captors and swinging his quinque to those who’ll interfere.

 

“Kindaichi, what’s going on?”

Kindaichi bolts up as he sees Akira walking up to him to view the camera monitors. Suzuya is peeking at the door with the same curiosity.

“Kyoutani-san is somehow back but…er, there’s a slight problem…” Kindaichi scratches his head, not really able to explain why Kyoutani’s now trying to protect the ghoul who appeared out of nowhere.

Akira frowns at the camera monitors in bewilderment.

“What the hell is he doing?” _He just appeared out of nowhere too and now he’s trying to fight his co-workers like usual._

“Kuroda-san’s trying to eradicate the ghoul but Kyoutani-san, he—”

Akira’s frown disappears. Oh?

“Find out who that ghoul is.” She orders and Kindaichi is immediately clicking away. It takes only a few minutes to get a match in the CCG listings.

“He’s listed as _Rattlesnake._ SS-Rated from…here, the 13 th ward. Chimera with a silver plate koukaku and a snake tail barbed rinkaku. He was last spotted five years ago.” Kindaichi says, printing out the file.

“Rattlesnake?” Suzuya pipes up from the door, playing with his hairclips nonchalantly. “Encountered him a while back, he managed to escape but he isn’t much of a fight if you can handle him.”

 

Kyoutani points his sickle towards the investigators who’re turning their own quinques at Yahaba. They’re looking back at him with a look of incredulousness.

“Kyoutani, you’re out of your mind.”

“You heard me,” Kyoutani says gravely.

“Kentarou, stop it,” Yahaba hisses.

The incredulous expressions intensify.

“You’re _friends?_ ” One of them says in disbelief.

“Have you turned traitor, Kyoutani?” Another accuses.

“Are you a ghoul now too?”

Kyoutani quirks a brow in annoyance.

“Cut off one of my limbs and see if it’ll grow back if that’ll suit you,” Kyoutani says.

“ _Kentarou._ ” Yahaba snaps again, getting back on his feet slowly. His rinkaku is hanging listlessly and Kyoutani suspects a q bullet.

“I see how it is,” Kuroda says, almost in amusement.

 

“Order them not to kill,” Akira tells Suzuya who raises his eyebrows. “Put the ghoul up for interrogation.”

“But Mado-san,” Kindaichi says, looking anxious.

“I remember him,” Akira says. “Friendly ghoul, he was called. Doesn’t matter, don’t kill him.”

 

Kuroda moves his target from Yahaba to Kyoutani and Kyoutani feels the strong sense of dread when he sees Yahaba go rigid.

_No, no, not now._

“Who’s faster, you…” Kuroda glances back and forth from Yahaba to Kyoutani in a sneer. “Or my quinque?”

 

“Hanbee, give orders to cease fire,” Suzuya instructs his squad as they’re are briskly walking to the main doors. “Mizurou, the tranquilizer, please. Keijin and Miyuki on standby should the tranquilizer fail.”

“Yes, sir!”

The moment they step outside though, bullets fly.

 

Kuroda pulls the trigger with a bang and Yahaba can see the glow of other quinques attempting to block him but he moves fast, swiftly even if his rinkaku is useless and he’s running, colliding with Kyoutani to the ground just in time that the bullet nearly misses them.

They both sit up, heaving and there’s another, and another and another and they try to run but stumble and Yahaba’s left with the option of using his koukaku as an enormous shield, letting the bullets imbed on the surface crying out in pain each time.

“ _Shigeru, move!_ ” Kyoutani yells struggling out of Yahaba’s hold, trying to get him to turn so he won’t be hit but Yahaba’s pinning him down with so much force despite the fact that he’s already bleeding.

“D-Don’t struggle—” Yahaba gasps.

“ _DON’T FUCK WITH ME RIGHT NOW YOU’LL DIE!_ ”

A quinque comes whipping their way and Kyoutani takes his chance to shove Yahaba aside just to swing his sickle to block it, yelling at the effort.

There’s another shot.

“ _Kentarou!_ ” Yahaba gasps, pushing him aside and simultaneously manages to use his koukaku offensively—smacking an investigator off his feet but he doesn’t stay good for long because Yahaba gets shot in the leg and he screams in pain as he falls down.

 

“HOLD YOUR FIRE!”

Kyoutani hears a familiar voice yell but he doesn’t turn to look, instead he hurries to Yahaba, horrified at the sight of him on the ground trembling and gasping in pain. Kyoutani pulls him close to him as gently as he can with his also shaking hands and heavy breaths he can’t catch up.

“Shigeru,” Kyoutani whispers, patting Yahaba’s cold cheek. Yahaba’s lips are turning blue and he’s blinking slowly, unfocused. He wants to say something but it comes out as a gurgle of blood and Kyoutani can feel desperation and panic set in.

“Don’t talk, it’s going to be okay, you’re going to be okay I won’t let anything happen to you,” Kyoutani tells him helplessly.

Another shot is fired in the air and Kyoutani cringes, in anger and frustration.

“Didn’t I tell you to _cease fire_?” The voice says again and Kyoutani sees Suzuya stopping a few yards away from them, his squad closely behind, quinques out and are looking at Yahaba either in dark interest or intent to kill.

For the first time, Kyoutani hears Kuroda’s voice quiver.

“S-Suzuya-senpai—”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? Didn’t any of your squad hear what I said?” Suzuya says it so casually, voice ringing out to the wide space but his eyes are shining, glaring.

Kuroda and his squad doesn’t say anything, frozen. Kyoutani clutches to Yahaba even more.

“Kentarou—” Yahaba whispers.

“Shh,”

“Akira says to not kill him,” Suzuya points at the ghoul lying in Kyoutani’s arms. His kagunes have dissolved, bleeding at both points and at his leg. “You’d shoot at anyone to get what you want don’t you?” he tells Kuroda who flinches.

“Seems like we don’t need the tranquilizer after all,” Mizurou says under his breath.

Kyoutani snarls. “You’re not taking him off to torture.”

Suzuya smiles at him in his childlike demeanor that Kyoutani doesn’t really trust.

“I never said that.”

 

Yahaba’s sight is slipping.

Everything is light, too light and the last thing he somehow thinks is seeing his parents again. _Finally._

He closes his eyes.

 

***

 

There is a continuous beeping noise that’s been at his bedside for quite some time now and he’s not sure if this is part of the concoction of dream. Everything sounds dull, noises seem muted, all of his senses focused on that continuous beeping that never seemed to end.

He opens his eyes.

And narrows them, the bright light overhead too much of a shine that his eyes hurt just from looking at it long. Is he breathing? He is. Where is he? He’s—

He tries sitting up, flinching at the sharp sting on his back. The sheets are white, the walls are white there’s a needle on the back of his palm.

Rc Suppressants. _Oh._ What’s his name? Where is he…? Where is…

_My name is Yahaba Shigeru I am 24 years old I am from the 13 th ward I am an SS-Rated ghoul My name is Yahaba Shigeru I am 24 years old I am from the 13th ward—_

Of course. Yahaba clenches his fist and then lets go immediately when he feels the sting of the needle.

“Ow,” Yahaba mumbles, voice hoarse from being unused. He surveys the too-white room, baffled. The walls look metallic on close inspection and there isn’t anything else around save for the bed Yahaba is on and the machine that’s connected to him at the moment.

Like a really empty hospital room with no windows and one door.

He tries activating his kakugan and fails. _Definitely a suppressant._

Where is he? More importantly…

“Kentarou,” Yahaba whispers.

 

“Kyoutani-san, please calm down—”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, KINDAICHI. YOU TOLD ME I CAN SEE HIM BUT IT’S BEEN A WEEK,”

Kindaichi’s sweating badly in his seat as Kyoutani’s glaring down at him with such intensity that could melt metal.

“But Mado-san _did_ say er…” Kindaichi stammers. “That uh, he’s to be quarantined…”

Kyoutani’s already snapping.

“Ghouls aren’t contagious!”

Beside Kyoutani, Kunimi leans back on his chair staring at the camera monitors.

“No they’re not,” he says. “Still can be hostile though. By the way,” he tells Kyoutani so nonchalantly. “He just woke up like ten minutes ago.” Kunimi points at the camera screen, too dull for Kyoutani to see.

His breath catches in his throat.

“ _What?_ ”

Kunimi sighs. “You heard me, I know you’d be all excited—”

Kyoutani’s already bolting off to the door before Kunimi could finish his sentence. He nearly runs over Akira who’s about to enter the surveillance room.

“Kyoutani.” She steps back in surprise.

“Out of the way,” Kyoutani huffs impatiently.

Akira holds her chin up, almost defiant.

“The ghoul just woke up,” Akira tells him. “I came here to let you know.”

“I already know about it now get out of the way.” Kyoutani deliberately pushes her aside to pass and Akira watches his retreating figure running to the direction of the rooms.

“M-Mado-san, why did you let…?” Kindaichi asks tentatively.

“We’ve handled even dangerous half-ghouls before,” Akira says. “A seemingly tame ghoul is nothing. Give them this little time they have.”

 

Yahaba rubs at his eyes, trying to remember. He remembers being shot several times and it’s definitely still throbbing, on his back and on his leg. Where is Kentarou? Did he manage to save him after all?

Yahaba hears noise outside, intensifying as it reaches the door and in one movement, slams open and Yahaba’s eyes widen at who he sees, excitement getting the better of him that he tries to hop off the bed.

“Kentarou—” Yahaba croaks, reaching out for him.

Kyoutani gets there first, bounding for him and enveloping him in a tight embrace that makes Yahaba yelp but Kyoutani doesn’t let go, breathing in Yahaba’s scent, burying himself in Yahaba’s warmth as Yahaba holds him back tightly.

Kyoutani is whispering Yahaba’s name repeatedly and Yahaba feels his heart could swell.

“You’re _okay_.” Yahaba says, overjoyed.

Kyoutani pulls back and frames Yahaba’s face with his hands.

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Kentarou, where…?” Yahaba glances around the room.

Kyoutani’s expression turns morose.

“We’re at the Cochlea. The…23rd ward. We had to transport you because your injuries,” Kyoutani explains. “I won’t let anyone do anything to you. They won’t hurt you when I’m here.”

Yahaba’s expression is soft.

“That’s not really a problem.”

Kyoutani’s hands drop to hold Yahaba’s hands, squeezing.

“You’re really stubborn,” he says.

“Kentarou, I just…”

“I know. But this time,” Kyoutani breathes, leaning close so that their foreheads are touching. “It’s my turn to keep you safe.”

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry mothe r 
> 
> also kyoutani's eyes arent actually blue but imagine
> 
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